Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

threw

/θɹu/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.46 in modern English

Syllables: threw
IPA: /θɹu/

11

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

simple past of throw

verb

past participle of throw

Colloquial

Example Sentences

""But I'd have threw lead at him if I'd been scared enough. I wasn't scared enough.""
"I may have threw it away then, or I may have threw it away after I got the passport and didn't need the various other stuff any long."
"I never should have had all them niggas in my bed for all them years. Never should have threw you out."

Etymology

From Middle English threw, from Old English þrēow (first and third person past tense of þrāwan), from West Germanic *þreu, from Northwest Germanic *þrerō, from Proto-Germanic *þeþrō (first and third person past tense of *þrēaną), reduplication of *þrēaną.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: threw, þrēow, *þeþrō

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /θɹu/
British English: /θɹuː/

Usage

Colloquial

Homonyms

through thru (not in Wales) thru

Rhymes With

to you do who to-do new two too through few true due

Questions

How do you pronounce threw?: The recorded pronunciation is /θɹu/.
What does threw mean?: simple past of throw
Where does threw come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce threw

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “threw”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/θɹu/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “threw” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.